PG-13 for some sex-related comments.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (First-time Director)
Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper
Meryl Streep plays Donna, the rebellious single mother of a bride-to-be (Sophie). Donna doesn’t know who her daughter’s birth father is therefore she never let her meet him. So Sophie (Amanda Seyfried – the most talented cast member) invites three likely candidates to her wedding. While Donna, who was once the lead singer of Donna and the Dynamos, has invited her backup singers, Rosie and Tanya. The ensuing conflict triggers the performance of 22 Abba hits including “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “The Winner Takes It All.”
If you have been reading our reviews for awhile, it won’t surprise you that I didn’t like this musical. Honestly I don’t like musicals to begin with, but there have been a few that I have enjoyed like Evita, and of course, Grease. But this was torture on a whole new level.
Who told Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan they could sing and who allowed them to lead in a musical?!?! As a youth pastor, I have sat through countless high school musicals and I am not kidding when I say I have seen more talent on those stages than in this movie.
Besides a poor cast, no on-screen chemistry and lousy singing, there is the story. And you really won’t find a film with such an anti Judeo-Christian value system. This one has it all: adultery, sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, and so on. I know most films have those same “values” but this one celebrates and promotes them with complete abandon. In one scene Sophia is challenged to forget marriage, and to go experience the world.
With nothing redeemable or entertaining… Mamma Mia! is a “Coaster” for sure.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No. I could not believe this film was rated PG-13. Almost every song is sexually driven (whether the lyrics are or not) and the entire premise of the film is completely morally bankrupt.
Side Note:
As said above, we don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
